1998 Toyota Corolla problems
The 1998 Toyota Corolla has 278 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (23%) concerns air bags. Next are body & structure (9%) and suspension (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 278 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 23% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 45 and 9
- Injuries and deaths
- 37 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 77,000 miles 70 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 5 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 6 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 8 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 17 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 16 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Of the 70 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 77,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 65,000 miles (15 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 45 complaints mention a crash; 9 complaints mention a fire; 37 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 88% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 20th most-complained-about out of 37 model years of the Toyota Corolla with enough data (145 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Was in an accident going 45MPH a truck ran a stop sign and I hit them in the side my son was in the passenger seat and his seat caught when I pressed the brakes but released when we hit the other vehicle airbag deployed but did not inflate. The seatbelt also released when we hit the ditch. He hit his head on the winshield 2 times and is now dealing with post concussion syndrome.
This vehicle hit another vehicle at 30 MPH. None of the four air bags deployed. An occupant of the vehicle sustained injuries to his chest and ribs. Toyota was contacted. Vehicle was totaled. *nlm
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 toyota corolla. While entering a parking space at 5 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and struck another vehicle. A police report was filed by the other party. The weather was bright and sunny at the time of the crash. The current and failure mileages were 64,820. Updated 01-11-08. The acceleration cause was not found. Updated 12/12/07
1998 toyota corolla's driver side seat belt failed at the latch area where it hooks in . The trunk lock broke inside the cylinder and the drivers side door handle broke inside. The seat belt warning light illuminated and flashed although all the occupants had their seat belts buckled.